Ultraviolet Irradiation of Murine Skin Alters Cluster Formation between Lymph Node Dendritic Cells and Specific T Lymphocytes

Exposure of murine skin to suberythernal doses of ultraviolet-B (UVB) radiation before contact sensitization alters the activity of antigen-presenting cells (APC) in the draining lymph nodes (DLN), decreases the contact hypersensitivity (CHS) response, and induces hapten-specific Ts cells. We determined whether in vivo UVB irradiation alters the ability of hapten-bearing APC from the DLN to form dusters with hapten-specific T lymphocytes. When APC from UV-irradiated, fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-sensitized mice were mixed with a FITC-specific T-cell line, significantly fewer clusters formed compared with FITC+ APC from unirradiated mice. A higher percentage of clusters formed with APC from UV-irradiated mice were Mac-1+ and bound both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, whereas FITC+ APC from nonirradiated mice bound CD4+ cells. These results suggest that UVB irradiation interferes with the induction of CHS by altering the functional interaction between APC and T cells, perhaps by altering the population of APC in the skin.